Author: Kate Poss

While we shake our heads at news of our federal government’s dysfunction, our county’s Public Works department hums along, thanks in part to some top-drawer women who help run the department, maintain our roads, map our island, and manage our tons of trash. Island County Assistant Engineer Connie Bowers, Island County’s assistant county engineer, found that taking physics in high school helped her see how math could be used to predict and analyze real life problems. While attending Texas A&M to earn a mechanical engineering degree, she was lucky to land a job troubleshooting for the early space shuttles as…

There’s power in creative gathering. Join juicy Whidbey women January 5 from 10-5 to make soft life-sized baby dolls for rural Chiapas health providers. All skill levels are welcome to stuff, sew, embroider and crochet with a goal of making 30 or more dolls, which will be sent to Chiapas, Mexico in February. Bring synthetic stuffing (it holds up well in tropical Mexican weather), black mohair yarn for crocheting hair, and learn skills from long-time doll maker Anne Zontine, known as the ‘Dolly Mama.’ “I am the Dolly Mama,” Zontine said, recalling her doll-making business with a catchy name, that…

Langley, our village by the sea, has its colorful personalities, backdrop of snowy Cascade Mountains, picturesque storefronts and cozy lodging. During the darkest days these qualities are enhanced to chase the blues away and bring cheer to locals and visitors. Events such as the Holly Jolly Parade and Deck the Doors celebrate the season and attract visitors to the fairy tale-esque scene during the darkest days when business usually slows down. The Langley Chamber hosts the Holly Jolly Parade in early December. Langley Main Street Association hosts Deck the Doors from late November through December. Musicians, floats, dancers, pirates, pets…

On a cold and blustery December First morning, folks left their warm homes in hopes of spotting salmon swimming up Glendale Creek from Possession Sound. But the fish didn’t show. Nevertheless the gathered crowd was interested in what a young man who says he is smitten by salmon had to say. “Try as I might to summon the salmon, they obviously weren’t in Glendale Creek,” said Kyle Ostermick-Durkee, Stewardship Specialist for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. Kyle organized the event dubbed Salmon Chat to raise awareness about Glendale Creek as one of four salmon spawning habitats in Island County and…

My spirits lift each time I walk into Raven Rocks Gallery at Greenbank Farm. It’s a portal for leaving one’s ego and woes at the door and an entry into a welcoming hearth of art. This month celebrates the tenth birthday of the gallery; an ode to the simple gifts of gracious space and the tangible connection one feels to art made from the heart. Artists Mary Jo Oxrieder and D.M. Windwalker Taibi, a married couple who took a leap of faith when our economy was crashing in 2008, opened an art space that has since thrived over the past…

While America’s Halloween may be about candy, pumpkins, costumes and horror movies, the holiday also traditionally celebrates those who have passed on and the importance of honoring their memory. Catholics celebrate All Saints Day. Celtic traditions celebrate Samhain and people in Hispanic cultures celebrate Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. ‘This is Whidbey’s’ photographer David Welton traveled recently with his son to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, for a photo workshop celebrating this important holiday. To get an idea of the experience, one may wish to watch the somewhat Disneyfied version of the practice in the popular…

While many of us don’t think twice about throwing food away, a community non-profit grows, gleans and accepts ‘rescued’ food to feed needy people of South Whidbey. Serving an average of 1,500 people a month, Good Cheer Food Bank receives a monthly average of 4,000 pounds of donated food. The worst cynics may scoff, saying giving food away only enables the poor to rely on handouts. But after visiting the bustling clean kitchen where good-natured food volunteers work together preserving donated and gleaned produce, it’s easy to see the wisdom in using this free resource. The reasons why people go…

On a blustery October Sunday morning folks gathered to honor our resident orcas, mourn the giant dolphins’ recent losses and ask our state representatives to let the dams down so the salmon can return. “We surely need all the pot stirring we can muster around the destruction of Mother Earth, taking care of the environment, and taking steps as a community to make changes that are well overdue,” said Melissa Koch, a Clinton artist committed to raising awareness for our land and sea. Koch, her partner Jamen Shively, and artist colleague Lauren Atkinson organized an orca-shaped mural composed of folks…

By Kate Poss Imagine a Langley realtor on a golden toilet seat in a rolling outhouse racing a nearly 97-years-young poet in a red-hot chili pepper on wheels. Realtor Gary Piper and poet Peter Lawlor hold a grudge match each year in Langley’s Soup Box Derby that finds the two friends rolling neck and neck to the finish line. This year Lawlor won by a nose, but suspects Piper let him win on purpose. Age before beauty? As Whidbey’s poet laureate who has published six books, including “Footprints” this year, Lawlor believes that writing a poem each day is the…

Even though they are more than a hundred miles away, smoke from more than 500 fires in British Columbia and others burning in eastern Washington has clouded our skies during the third week of August and has prompted the Island County Sheriff to declare a burn ban starting Aug. 20. Our air is unhealthy to breath. These sites showed the extent of fires in the American and Canadian West. They reflect a sobering wall of flame and smoke. Usually our island’s July and August weather is seductive. Its mild summer temperatures and mostly sunny skies, along with jaw-dropping views of the…